When did Midland become home to all these lousy drivers?

Published 6:00 pm, Sunday, February 8, 2009

Well, it nearly happened. And if it had, it would not have been a surprise. After all, Midland is home to some of the worst drivers known to man.

It was shortly before 2 p.m. this past Tuesday. I was in the right hand lane on Texas Avenue, preparing to turn right onto Big Spring Street. But before this routine feat could be accomplished, the driver of a large SUV - she was in the lane to my left - decided she was going to make a right-hand turn on to Big Spring Street, and proceeded to run me into the curb. Fortunately, she eventually glanced over right shoulder, spotted me and jerked her vehicle back to the left and zipped it through the intersection, leaving me, with hands shaking, trying to regain a normal breathing pattern.

Five minutes later - and I'm not making this up - a pickup truck pulled out of a parking lot and directly into my lane of traffic, causing me to slam on my brakes and everything in the seat to my right - mostly CDs - to fly forward, eventually ending up on the floor. So much for that normal breathing pattern. All I wanted at that point was to get to the office in one piece.

Mention to almost anyone that Midland has some truly lousy drivers and the stories will immediately begin to flow. "Oh, I know," is invariably the initial response, followed by several graphic examples of narrowly avoided accidents.

And more times than not, those examples involve people carelessly changing lanes without even a passing glance at the rearview mirror. They want to head left, so that's where they go. If you happen to be in the way, that's your problem. Deal with it.

Likewise, there seems to be a general consensus that red lights no longer mean motorists are supposed to stop, but hit the accelerator. It's the same with stop signs. People ignore them. It is as though they have become quaint relics from the past. And yield signs? Surely you jest. They have gone the way of the yellow light. Both have become meaningless.

It used to be that teenagers were the worst offenders, but they no longer stand alone. In both of my near-misses, the offending motorists - one man and one woman - both appeared to be middle age. And, yes, one of them - the man - was chatting on a cell phone without a care in the world.

It should be noted here that as a general rule I try to avoid using profanity, but sometimes the words just escape before self-discipline can be practiced. Indeed, I used my quota for the month on Tuesday alone. People who are talking on a cell phone instead of getting out of my way do that to me.

Of course, there are times when motorists make honest mistakes, the kind that do not involve speeding or running red lights or stop signs. Here's an example. Just the other day I saw an elderly woman - no doubt someone's sweet, little grandmother - going the wrong way on a one-way street. She had no idea she was doing something quite dangerous, and as if to cut her some slack, the rest of us just eased our vehicles to the other side of road and allowed her to pass in peace.

Here's hoping she eventually figured out the situation. Sweet little grandmothers need all the help they can get, especially when they get behind the wheel of a car. If that means others keep a watchful eye on their actions, then so be it. It's the least we can do.